Metal Cabinets vintage or homemade and no name toolboxes. got any to show please do

[senlow]

IThere isn't a makers mark anywhere on this chest.Any ideas?

It does look like it may be a Gerstner. Remove the lower drawer or two and look at the inside bottom of the box. Gerstner typically marks their boxes in this location. It would also be helpful to post a couple more photos. It's important that your photos be in focus. We need to see the details to help you. Pics of a drawer and the box with the lid open and a retake of the original would be helpful.

 

[Outlawmws]

Still trying to figure out what the bottom and side box are. They did NOT come from the same place. The top is a Yorktown.

They may have but from slightly differnt eras...


From the back, look in the lower left corner, with GOOD light and if needed a magnifier. Several companies marked their boxes there...

 

[drivesitfar]

GARY: if you wouldn't mind moving your Gertsner or No name wood tool box over to the WOOD CABINET thread it might have a few more members eyes that know more about wood than metal. here's the link and post up a ton of pictures of insides, bottoms and all sides of yours if you have time to here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=305831&highlight=wood+cabinets

ALL: did anybody know that COLE made flat files? well they did and these are 54 inches wide, 41 inches deep and each 5 drawer cabinet is 16 inches tall. yes they are STOUT, yes they are HEAVY and really the best place for them is on a shelf i have in my shop about 6 feet off the ground that is full of plywood currently. i thought about storing them in my storage unit cause they will just fit, but after getting one up there and not being able to use the upper one if i put it on top i decided to wait and move the plywood.

I might have a spot to set them on the floor which would be better cause it has a stand and each drawer itself empty must weigh 50-75 pounds. good think my client had a fork lift to load these and also a good thing my little utility trailer doesn't have any sides built on it (yet) so i could pull each drawer out first before moving cabinets.

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: a few more pictures of my Cole flat files. i thought i found a spot that would fit to store them, but i'd like to use them so i need to move some shelving in my shop and put these heavy guys on the ground. yes i moved that shelf up on the cabinet on top of the bench by myself and OMG that wasn't easy.

 

[Squashfest81]

Just picked this little gem up. Love the box. The stuff inside just makes it cooler. She will get cleaned up and screwed to the wall.

 

[drivesitfar]

SQ: that's a new one to me. sorry i can't recall a thread on it like 3bay mentioned over on the garage sale thread so if you have any luck post up the link either with more pictures after you clean if it your are planning to or edit your post and ad the thread's link.

nice find!!

 

[bluebolt]

Scored a nice one today for 30 bucks! 27 drawers, manufacturer decal is mostly gone, can anyone figure it out?

 

[drivesitfar]

BB: nice find and i love that size cabinets and i think i still have 3. sorry i don't have and haven't had one with those drawer pulls so somebody else will have to tell you the maker. there is a clue left on the label, but guessing a lot of these cabinets were made in OHIO.

yes you didn't pay too much either. looks like you picked up a years supply of casters too.

 

[bluebolt]

BB: nice find and i love that size cabinets and i think i still have 3. sorry i don't have and haven't had one with those drawer pulls so somebody else will have to tell you the maker. there is a clue left on the label, but guessing a lot of these cabinets were made in OHIO.

yes you didn't pay too much either. looks like you picked up a years supply of casters too.

$7 bucks for all the casters and $10 for the adjustable 2000 pound rating EACH feet. Yea I was happy!

 

[txvwnut]

Picked these up last night. Originally went for just two of them but after we loaded the two he says give me an extra fifty and you can have all of it.

Now I just gotta figure out where to put them.

 

[drivesitfar]

BB: nice work and you'll have to show us how you use some of those casters once you install them on your cabinets and tool boxes and what ever else you need them for.

speaking of casters i have a fair amount myself and i think I'm going to put a few of these on one or both of my old lumber or farm carts. did i mention these casters are BIG.

TxVW: great looking cabinets. if you have a place for a solid 4 foot wide shelving unit either that you own, buy or make i'd put each of those cabinets on a shelf. they probably could support each other on top of each other, but I have a few loaded up and i'd say you'd have issues if they were full in that configuration.

here's a picture of a few of mine on a commercial 6 foot wide rack i own that has 2x6's on the shelfs under each cabinet.

ALL: keep posting these cool old cabinets. as i did some thinking on where i might find a better spot to put my Cole flat files i found a spot in my shop after moving my 1000 pound bench back in a corner. i'm building 2 2x5 steel benches on casters to use in the middle of my shop so i don't need the big one near the door any more. yes i have buckets of stuff so they will go in a few of these drawers very soon as i GET ORGANIZED.

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice finds TX! looks like you will be on the market for trays or drawers for the bottom one! maybe the portable metal parts bins with hinged lids (similar to the plastic Plano boxes) might fit?

 

[txvwnut]

drives: The top two and the bottom unit actually have bolt holes and nut pockets that line up. I don't know if they were intended to be done that way or not. I plan on putting these in different spots of the shop so I'm already thinking a stand or shelf brackets. The third unit has small flanges on either side so I suspect it was to be installed into a pocket or rack of some sort.

Outlaw: I've already been thinking about that bottom unit. Either make some drawers or try and find some of the divided parts boxes. It'll probably be drawers as that will be the easiest and least expensive.

 

[drivesitfar]

TXVW: most likely your unit was in somebody's work truck or van. hence them being bolted together. then the entire unit was attached to a wall in the truck or van.

occasionally i can find drawers that might fit a cabinet like those, but you'll have to look hard and be quick. making some out of aluminum or light steel might work if you are that handy. or just putting in stuff inside those open slots like letter holders or another sort of organizer works too.

i'm in the middle of changing up my 9x15 portion of our 2 car garage again, but here's the racks i mentioned that my 18 drawer units sit on. one of my 18 drawer unit is packed with nuts, bolts and washers and i bet each drawer weighs 30 pounds hence my thinking of all the weight crushing your unit without any drawers helping to support it.

good find and i bet they will come in useful.

 

[SB440R/T]

I have a shot at getting these two, really would like to use them for various nuts and bolts storage. Thoughts?

Edit: They are 28.25x40.75 and 36" tall.

 

[drivesitfar]

SB: it looks like you have the base to set the 2 cabinets on and one of them has a top so it should sit about 36 inches tall and make a nice work surface or work bench too. these old blueprint or flat file cabinets can hold a lot of stuff. i've probably use something like this Lyon 18 drawer unit i own that is about 12 inches tall, 34 inches wide and 17 inches deep for nuts and bolts. i use my blueprint cabinet for all sorts of stuff and you can load up the drawers with a lot of weight because they were designed to hold paper that really gets heavy.

i bet i have a couple hundred pounds in each one of my blueprint drawers and here's a picture of mine with a little different stand and i have 4 cabinets high currently.

 

[Outlawmws]

They are actually better suited for tool storage, but could certainly be used for fasteners and such. I'd make sure you put in and use good dividers though.

 

[SB440R/T]

SB: it looks like you have the base to set the 2 cabinets on and one of them has a top so it should sit about 36 inches tall and make a nice work surface or work bench too. these old blueprint or flat file cabinets can hold a lot of stuff. i've probably use something like this Lyon 18 drawer unit i own that is about 12 inches tall, 34 inches wide and 17 inches deep for nuts and bolts. i use my blueprint cabinet for all sorts of stuff and you can load up the drawers with a lot of weight because they were designed to hold paper that really gets heavy.

i bet i have a couple hundred pounds in each one of my blueprint drawers and here's a picture of mine with a little different stand and i have 4 cabinets high currently.

Thanks, I am going to pull the trigger. Well worth it I think if the quality of it looks fine, its a bit of a drive to get so I wanted to see peoples thoughts before I drove to get them.

I was thinking of using the SCHALLER CORPORATION bins for the top couple of drawes.

 

[SB440R/T]

They are actually better suited for tool storage, but could certainly be used for fasteners and such. I'd make sure you put in and use good dividers though.

What is the general height of the drawers for these?

 

[Outlawmws]

Two inches or so.

 

[SB440R/T]

Two inches or so.

Thanks Outlaw

 

[yjWrangler]

 

[drivesitfar]

SB: i'll take a WAG that your drawer height on those drawers are 2.5 inches so hope that works for you. most of these are 5 drawers in the cabinet and 15 to 17 inches tall. so 2.5 inch deep drawers should be pretty close.

most have rollers or some of the ones i've bought just slide on steel against steel. i'm guessing yours have rollers.

good luck and depending on how you are hauling them i usually remove the drawers and for the smaller ones like that i put the cabinets in the back of my Honda pilot empty and then put the drawers in. if you are hauling them in a trailer having a dolly and putting them on their backs with drawers facing the sky is another way i hauled a bunch of them.

 

[SB440R/T]

Drivesitfar: Was going to put them in the back of a tacoma with a short bed. I will strap them down if I have to, can't get them until Sunday though. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[drivesitfar]

SB: i used to put a TON OF STUFF in my old Honda CRV with the seats down so not sure what your dimensions are, but if you can't load the drawers from the back just a heads up trying to load these big 5 drawer cabinets by yourself is NOT EASY cause they are pretty heavy, but bulky and hard to get a good grip. bring help even if it's your girlfriend or wife if you have to load them sideways with the drawers in them. also i have a small trailer and if i'm buying things like this and they are too big i'll use my trailer or rent a $20 Uhaul which might work for you if you have a hitch.

good luck

 

[SB440R/T]

SB: i used to put a TON OF STUFF in my old Honda CRV with the seats down so not sure what your dimensions are, but if you can't load the drawers from the back just a heads up trying to load these big 5 drawer cabinets by yourself is NOT EASY cause they are pretty heavy, but bulky and hard to get a good grip. bring help even if it's your girlfriend or wife if you have to load them sideways with the drawers in them. also i have a small trailer and if i'm buying things like this and they are too big i'll use my trailer or rent a $20 Uhaul which might work for you if you have a hitch.

good luck

yea, the person I am buying it from offered to help me load them, then the wife is going to get a workout, haha.

 

[rmalkow2]

Here is a new cabinet I picked up at auction last week. I'm not sure of the maker yet as there was no obvious name plate and I've not had time to look it over closely. It's definitely older because its built like a tank and almost weighs as much according to my back.
Unique drawer releases in that you push up or down on the drawer handle and it releases the catch for that drawer.
Seven drawers total with some divider trays in a couple. It was used in a wood shop because of all the sawdust found inside and the rusty circular saw blade found in one drawer.
It would make a great small parts or tool storage cabinet but I have to see if I can fit it somehow or maybe just clean it up and flip it.
Slides seem to be in good shape just need a thorough cleaning and lubing.

 

[drivesitfar]

RM: i'm guessing on the top in the middle is where the name plate is or maybe was if it's missing. the handles look a lot like BEACH toolboxes so maybe that might lead you some place to start looking for your maker. i love the style and the drawer inserts are new to me cause haven't seen that type before.

nice find!!!

 

[rmalkow2]

RM: i'm guessing on the top in the middle is where the name plate is or maybe was if it's missing. the handles look a lot like BEACH toolboxes so maybe that might lead you some place to start looking for your maker. i love the style and the drawer inserts are new to me cause haven't seen that type before.

nice find!!!

Yes there is a small rectangular plate there that is riveted on but to my surprise it's totally smooth an looks like aluminum with no paint left on it. If it was a maker name tag and only painted that evidence is long gone. But a cabinet of this age I would expect to have some sort of embossed tag. The drawer inserts are the style you would put cards in and have the adjustable backstop. Odd to me that they face sideways but are clearly made to fit that way. Right now its stored outside so I'll wait for warmer weather to do more detective work.
Thanks for the tip on BEACH products, I'll check into that thought.

 

[drivesitfar]

RM: i'm still thinking those sideways file holders inside your cabinet drawer were not original. i'm betting another handy old guy found some file drawers out of another cabinet that fit so he used them instead of plastic or just metal dividers. can you post a few pictures of the file holders from all sides and bottom? any name on the file drawers cause look a lot like my Shaw-Walker ones in these cabinets i have in my garage now? any evidence of a handle?

 

[fowldarr]

I found a cool old "NAPA oil seals and bearings" wall cabinet nearby for $40, little bit of surface rust (patina), I'll try to get a picture posted up, but does anybody know if that is a fair price? I cannot find any comparables.

(We just moved, so my wife is going to kill me for dragging something home when we are living out of boxes, unless I can show how great of a deal it is).

 

[fowldarr]

The picture, as promised.


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[drivesitfar]

Fowl: if you NEED IT then yes it's a FANTASTIC DEAL. so for us really to let you know if you could flip it we'd need to know dimensions and need a lot more pictures. seriously you did ok, but i don't know if it's worth $100 or $200 cause i don't collect these, but i know these old painted metal cabinets are not common.

 

[00fxd]

I'd say $40. is about right. Napa stuff isn't that old to me but I'm a dinosaur. It'll be old someday tho

 

[Outlawmws]

The key to me is how much other damage there is besides the obvious rust, and do you think a clay bar/rubbing compound will clean it up?

 

[slodat]

I started out at about twelve years old with a tiny little plastic drawer cabinet the size of a loaf of bread with wood screws in it. Over the last 30+ years I've acquired all sorts of organizational bins, drawers, cabinets, etc. About six months ago I found a Vidmar on Craigslist for a good price. I set out to consolidate all of my various organizational stuff into the Vidmar.

Old stuff:




First Vidmar..


A few weeks ago I found a decent deal on eBay and bought two more..


Add a ton of Schaller bins..

 

[fowldarr]

Thanks everybody. I have a message out to the seller to see if he will take a little less. Hopefully I'll hear back from him and go pick it up tonight. I also requested pictures of the back and inside.


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[rmalkow2]

The picture, as promised.


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Personally I think that's a great deal of the cabinet is pretty solid yet. I would easily pay $40 for that especially since it has some advertising yet on it and much original paint. If you consider what you would pay for the same size cabinet new at a big box store made from super thin sheet metal this is a much better product.

 

[00fxd]

The key to me is how much other damage there is besides the obvious rust, and do you think a clay bar/rubbing compound will clean it up?

You will be amazed how well that paint will come up. Maybe an sos pad to remove rust. Autosol or some course polish and then finish with a high quality auto paint product. I just did a '50s Snap On roller that i was going to re paint. I'm glad I didn't now.

 

[drivesitfar]

SD: thank you very much for not only posting your new VIDMAR, STANLEY quality cabinets, but for also taking the time to show us how to properly set them up so you can be ORGANIZED.

do you have a method to know which cabinet to go to yet or did you just tape a name on the drawers?

00FXD: great tip and even a rag with WD 40 on it will take off a lot of the surface rust. how's the weather up in my old vacation spot these days? haven't been to Penticton since 1972 even when i was helping develop some in Omak just south of you in 2006 & 2007 i should have ventured up. great place to visit and probably to live too.

RM: i agree old cabinets are built with maybe twice the thicker gauge metal.

FOWL: just to let you know NAPA is fairly common, but still they don't seem to show up much anymore that are that color especially. more often than not you'd see an orange/red yellow one with plastic handles that would break. good luck

ALL: for these old cabinets do any of you put beeswax on the slides even though it's metal on metal and no rollers or slots? also i put 2 coats of BLO on this cabinet maybe 6 months ago and it's still shining in my unheated garage. here's the before and i'll have to take another after BLO picture of this BORG WARNER cabinet.